The Restoration Project
by fn055
Summary: "You know, I'm not sure I'm a good person." "Really? Why do you think so?" She took off the gag from their prisoner. He started screaming. "Oh God please, I have done no-" She put on the gag mid-sentence. "Does that answer you?" "... I was being rhetorical. We're hardly saints, but at least we fight against worse people." "... So, we're somewhat decent?" "Sure, let's go with that."
1. I-Prologue

Two women sat on a table, inside an house on the edge of the town. A computer stood in front of them and a kettle pot lay near it. Both had a cup of tea in their hands.

"So, what do you think?"

"Well, it's readable. Don't look at me like that, I'm not a critic."

"I know, but give me an input. Heavy? Stiff? Too vague?"

"Convoluted. Seriously, why you have written it like that?"

"Give me a break about that, Connie. It's my first story."

"I know, I know. But maybe you should have written it in an easier prose."

"I like it this way. It's fine if you don't like it, but I'm not gonna change it. It's still a bit rough around the edges, I think."

"Hmm. Yea. Have you finished editing the story?"

"Not all of it."

"Wanna do it together, Amata?"

"Sure, sis."

They finished their tea and started reading.

THE RESTORATION PROJECT IN:

THE BEGINNING (BUT NOT REALLY), AND RANDOM MEMORIES


	2. That sounded important

_It was in 2004 that she met Simon for the first time._

_The research lab was at the edge of the city, in the middle of the forest. The one-store building was way too little, making Connie wonder if it had a basement. With pristine white walls and an absurdly large radio tower just behind the lab, the whole building looked brand new._

_And a punch in the eye. A stark, white building in the middle of the green and brown forest, making it visible for miles. The sign stood above the entrance: 'LAB' , written in large letters._

_She parked her new car in the parking lot, which was empty save for a red sports car and a black motorcycle, took her bag, and moved in the lab._

_After entering in the reception (she spotted a broom and a basket, standing at the very edge of the room for some reason), she greeted the receptionist, sitting behind a large desk: a white dog, with black spots, dressed with a blue hoodie. He was grinning like it was his normal expression, but his smile didn't reached his eyes._

_He looked busy with a crossword, but he saw her coming, apparently, because he greeted her:_

_"hello, can I help you with something?" He said, barely looking at her._

_"I'm looking for doctor Gaster." She said, straight to the point._

_"okay." He stopped talking and it didn't looked like he was going to say anything else._

_Connie sighed, annoyed by his behaviour. "I have an appointment. Where I can find him?"_

_Her glare convinced him to be serious, because it said: "in the reactor's room, probably." He said, putting his pen down and looking at her._

_What? "What?"_

_"One of his projects," he started. "you know, science stuff. probably doing a test or something."_

_Wait, what? "What??"_

_It was in that moment that all the neon lights burst in little shards._

_"F-" She held her tongue, and covered her head with her arms. The guy on the counter didn't even look surprised, nor did he try to protect himself from the glass. He stood up, cleaned his head from the shards, and took the broom, cleaning up the place._

_Connie, stunned at the sudden twist of the events, said, exasperated: "Where is he? It was waiting for me!"_

_"Really?" The doctor stood from her left, after exiting from a lift hidden in the wall (?). Dressed with a lab coat larger than him, he rubbed his bandage, settled over his left eye. Him and the receptionist looked a lot alike, except the Gaster was taller and much, much thinner. She could probably see through him. She wondered if the two were related._

_"Oh, right! Louise, wasn't it?" He started coming towards her, but stopped when the receptionist greeted him._

_"hiya, doc. another failure?" The stout dog said, his grin growing larger._

_"Another MINOR SETBACK!" He shouted, so suddenly that she stood back. Gaster looked annoyed by him._

_"'course doc." He said, winking. "kitty here was looking for you." Kitty. KITTY._

_Her hear twitched erratically after hearing that. The doctor then said: "Ah! Of course." He cleared his throat and got closer to her._

_Way too close._

_"I'm sorry, miss Welsh. I was busy with matters of great importance. If you could follow me."_

_He then took a something that looked like a large remote from his lab coat, and pressed a button. Yet another elevator, from her right this time, opened. He entered without missing a beat._

_Why there are so many elevators?_

_The doctor entered without hesitation. The other dog in the room didn't bat an eye at the sight. Looking straight at her, Gaster said:"Well, what are you waiting for? There's SCIENCE to do!"_

_"you mean working, doc."_

_"I KNOW WHAT I SAID!"_

_What the hell was wrong with this two?_

* * *

Ah the past. Truly one of her few safe havens left. Too bad that the dust was pulling her out of it. She sneezed, and resumed her task.

She fucked up at some point of the day. She was sure of it.

Yet, here she was. Olive's journal pointed to one place, but she needed to be absolutely sure. Olive was through, but even the best made mistakes. She definitely knew something about it.

Focusing back at her task, and hopefully keeping her head busy, Connie resumed her search.

The library was a rotting mess, with ruined books and libraries with broken shelves. The pavement looked new, but it probably had been substituted due to the age of time. The computer archives were good though: dating back from the fourties, it was the best place to search what she was looking for.

"Tragic fatality at Thanksgiving"

"Sinkholes claims another victim"

"Tragic explosion, 4 dead"

So far, it was promising. The place was a likely candidate for her, well, 'investigations'.

This city (actually a town) was the complete opposite of Ebott: random deaths and a past full of tragedies.

But she still wasn't convinced that it was the place Olive had described.

In her opinion however, her friend was right to be suspicious. Then, one of the titles (put on the very end and without date, as if someone wanted it to be forgotten) caught her attention:

"Search parties settled around Deep Hollow Country"

That sounded important. She quickly wrote the interesting parts of the article on her 'journal' and exited the building, messenger bag on her shoulder and the start of an headache finishing off her mood.

She believed the whole library hunt would have lasted longer, but she was wrong, apparently. At the end, the whole search lasted barely an hour. It was still late afternoon and she ended the ways to postpone her drive back to Ray.

Sighing, Connie exited the 'library' (if a shitty place like that could be called such) and headed straight to her car.

A poet would have found something philosophical to say about the way the Sun settled down, leaving space to the night.

Redpass was a lovely place but it was nothing more that colonial houses, an old monument (with the occasional shop and an large graveyard just outside the city) and the aforentioned library, which the librarian boasted it was more than an hundred years old.

Too bad she was always been a city gal.

Right now all she could think about was: 'Tomorrow I go shopping trip with Ray. Wuuhuu', in the most deadpan tone she could think of.

She loved the kid, but she really wasn't looking forward for it. He needed the stuff for school though, and she had been a awful legal tutor this months. Wasn't she supposed to look out for him?

Well, it was supposed to happen eventually. She is going to surprise him somehow. Hopefully tomorrow she'll be happier about it. Still, she couldn't be really excited about it. There was a time when she would have loved a trip to a mall, back in school with Butch and Amata. But that part of her died with her father.

Point Lookout and everything that happened on Ebott made sure that her innocence was dead, buried, rotted and suffered whatever happens next.

Getting back to her ruined Jeep, she took her thermos from the trunk, quickly drank what was left, and entered by the not-busted door (the driver's seat still had a busted lock since 'The Accident'). She cleaned the rearview mirror, catching herself.

She looked terrible, with her unkempt, yellow fur and her tired, amber eyes. Her head was killing her. She remembered that today she and Ray were supposed to finish their talk.

She started the engine and was going to drive away, but stopped when she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. She already saw him before, and dread started filling her: black pants, brown shirt, and an bandage over his left eye.

Woody. He stood there, staring her. Then, he moved. He got closer and closer to the car, and Connie realized what he was. She closed her eyes and started making deep breaths.

"Hi, Connie." He was an hallucination. She noted that, thankfully slowly, they were getting more common, no matter how regularly she took her pills. She stood there, barely moving, and started sweating. With her eyes closed, she started blindly looking for her pills in her bag until she realized that she left them in her house.

If only she could say something... but she could not. She wanted him to go away... to tell him to return to the black abyss that was her mind. She eventually opened her eyes, and saw that he was gone.

"How long had it been." He then 'said', from just behind her. She froze, unable to do anything.

She wanted nothing more than to leave and forget the past... but she could not.

"How long?" He said again.

She wanted nothing more to say that she was sorry... But she could not.

"How long, since you killed me?" That hurt. Numbness filled her heart.

It was too late for thinking about what she could have done. She eventually managed to say one thing. Just one, it the hope that she left her: "Three years."

You're not real. Go away.

But she could still fell him. Her headache was getting stronger. Then, he said the only thing Connie was afraid to ear: "It's been so long, Peter will be worried. How is he, anyway?"

"... he's dead, Woody."

And so are you.

Silence. And then:

"Oh God, no. Why? WhywhyWHY?!?"

It started as a whisper, but turned into a furious scream an the end. Connie, closed her eyes and started telling herself that he wasn't real, just like every other time.

At the end, he returned to wherever he came for. Just like every other time. She didn't cry. She only felt exhausted at the sight of her former friend. Her headache was gone. All she wanted to do was to drive back to her apartment and back to Ray.

* * *

Bloomfield was a little city which barely reached the fifty thousand people: close enough to the Rocky mountains to be visited by everyone who wished to climb said mountains, but too far from the highway and without any real expectation of growth, especially since the flood that hit last year. It was, however, big enough to have an elementary school.

The only other noteworthy thing was the unique types of flower which covered the plains.

And the annual blooming of said flowers, which give the name to the town and nightmares to everyone allergic to them.

It was near the town centre that stood an apartment: ruined to the point that its Orange-ish paint was almost gone, with rusted pipes that come from the furnace and graffiti all over the walls around the place. No one would call this place home.

Except Ray.

Standing on the roof, said fourteen old kid was looking to the road below him when he heard someone opening the door from behind him.

"Hello, Mr Kessler!" Turning to the newcomer, Ray greeted him.

"Hi, kid. So, how's the flowers today?"

Thomas Kessler, the old owner of the place, was a sturdy raccoon, taller than Ray but somewhat skinnier. Three years ago, when they moved here, in a completely different place compared to his old home, he focused over one of his favourite hobbies: gardening. Luckily, Mr Kessler not only was okay with it, but started checking up on him every now and then.

It turned out his wife used to like gardening too, until she passed away.

This reminded him of her, maybe. It's probably therapeutic. He should ask Connie about this.

Thomas moved to his left and started looking at the dusk.

"So far they're fine, the buttercups are going to bloom next week."

"Yeah, along with every other darn plant in this town." His allergy, thankfully, wasn't that bad. Still, he left him a sneezing mess.

Ray and the landlord kept chatting for a while. The landlord then said: "Do you remember Fiona, right?" Fiona? Oh!

"Oh, I do! The pharmacist, right?" She had met her a couple of times.

"One and only. Well, I was wondering, it doesn't happen that you're busy next summer, right?"

"Well, I-" It was in that moment that she saw her friend's car.

"I'm sorry, I have to go to my mom!" They had a talk to continue, after all.

He run past the suddenly embarrassed raccoon, and hurried down the stairs and into their room.

Their little apartment was like back home: Cozy and homely. Cream coloured walls decorated the rooms. In front of him stood the kitchen, which somehow, despite he regularly clean it, always got dirty in the span of hours with black stains. To his left was the living room, with a nice, red sofa put in front of a little tv and a little reclining table with white chairs next to it. Behind the tv, a window let him see the outside darkening more and more. Then, there were their bedrooms and a bathroom.

He quickly changed to his favourite, green t-shirt. Then he put away his dirty shirt to the washing machine and waited for her to enter. The wait gave him the time to let his mind wander. He saw himself in the mirror, near the bathroom's door. Was he always that skinny?

Now that he managed to finish middle school, he really want to start anew. This time, he wasn't going to study all day. He was going to be popular for once! He struck an heroic pose.

"Okay." He cleared his throat. "Howdy! I'm Asriel. What, of course we can be friends! Want to see a movie? Really?" He looked at the door, and saw that she still hadn't arrived. He took a deep breath, and-

"Are you posing again, Ray?" Connie and her ninja skills hit again.

Ehh crap, she didn't hear her. "Uh, no."

Worst liar ever.

She cracked up and chuckled. "Ok, sure."

"I was, uhh, thinking about the future?"

Was she smirking?

"I don't doubt it. You're the most serious person I know, Plushie."

Asriel cringed. "Ugh, why." Yet, she made him smile.

This time she laughed a bit. "You know the embarassering will never end."

"Again with that word?" He asked jokingly.

"Yup, I made it, and is my sacred duty to let the world know it!" She quickly followed up.

"And I'm sure the world will, like, never thank you enough." He laughed a bit.

"True, true. But you could always start thanking me," she leaned on the wall. "by telling me how it went today."

Ray smiled lightly. "Great actually. I didn't do much though. I checked the plants and baked a cake." He then pointed to it, standing on the balcony. "Oh, and I said hi to Mr. Kessler!"

"Really?" Connie liked the man. "How was he?" They were friendly to each other, and that counted, right?

"Fine, I guess. He always checks up on me when he finishes working the hospital." He always looked tired though. He should have asked.

"Because you're a good kid and he had liked you from the very first day." She looked pensive for a second.

"Where were we? Ah yes." And then she said: "Listen, why don't you sit?" They both sat on the sofa, looking at each other. "Excited about school, Ray?"

Ray nodded, but she continued. "It's going to be different, Ray. I know you probably want to, uh, make friends and be popular. But it's not that easy." She stopped, and her face looked worried. "You're scared, aren't you?"

Her ability to see through him was terrifying. He never got how she managed that. "A bit, yeah." He sat on the sofa.

"How was it for you, Connie?"

She though for a second at what to say. "When I was your age, I was like you." She ruffled his head. He groaned, making her laugh. "And like you, I wanted to be popular too. I never had any real friend until I got 15. At that time, I was..." She thought about what to say.

"A nerd. You know, I didn't wear contacts back then, and I passed the days between the computer lab and the library. So, I ended up being ignored by everyone. Then, one day, I realized I wanted more than that."

Connie got a nostalgic tone while talking. "I wanted someone to watch my back. Someone to trust with my own secrets. I found Amata and Butch..."

* * *

_Connie was having the time of her life._

_Dad's car was racing through the desolate road, while both Amata and Butch were pleading her to slow down._

_Their prayers were in vain though, because she wasn't going to stop anytime soon. After a short drive, (where her companions claimed that they saw their lives flashing between their eyes) they reached the old factory, where a party was held._

_"Here we are, guys!" Her smile could give the Cheshire cat a run for his money. "Excited?"_

_"This is the last time that you drive, Connie."_

_"Ye of little faith, Butch. We're here, right?"_

_Amata (the traitor!) backed him up._

_"Somehow. I think I heard the angels calling us, you know?"_

_Connie dramatically gasped. "Blasphemy! How could you betray the sisterhood like that?" She laughed. "Relax you two, I didn't get the license for nothing."_

_They all exited from her (dad's) car, and started walking towards their next hours of fun. "And for the record, I'm the only one who has it. Just saying."_

_They both rolled their eyes. Then, Butch broke the silence and asked to Amata:"Is this place as good as they say?"_

_"It is." She sounded unsure, though._

_Connie was having none of that. "Butch, Amata, look." She stopped and turned, making her look both of her friends. "It's true, we don't know this place. But it doesn't mean that we can't make it ours. Butch." She looked at him. "Who's the most reliable guy here, with years of street smarts around his belt and the best stories about bar brawls?" She pointed at him._

_"Sigh. Me, Connie. But I don't-" She interrupted him._

_"And you, Amata! Love of my life- I mean, honorary sister, who's the most knowledgeable about politics?"_

_"Connie, I told you that I'm strai-"_

_"You are!" Both her friends were getting confused by her behaviour. "You see where I'm getting at?" She was met with absolute silence. She sighed. "We have our faults, we have our quirks and weaknesses, but more than anything, we have ourselves! And that is the only thing that we need to have fun. Trust me, we'll be fine!"_

_Both had a blank look._

_"...Hmm, ok?"_

_"Sigh. Sure, Connie."_

* * *

Eh, that were the days. "...But I'll tell you about them another time, Ray." She saw the moon, setting high in the growing darkness. Asriel was looking at her with his bright, green eyes that hid his wisdom more befitting of an adult. He just needed to see other people.

"The point I'm making is that you shouldn't sell yourself short, kid. You're determined, kind and..." She smiled.

"A giant, lovable dork." She ruffled his head. At that point Ray, that was listening carefully until the last phrase, was mentally facepalming, or so Connie liked to believe. "You will find good friends Ray, don't worry."

Ray stayed silent for a bit, thinking about what to say. And so, they stood like that for a bit, thinking about their own problems.

Connie eventually broke the silence: "Wanna watch a movie, kid? Laptop's loaded."

* * *

After dinner, (And a piece of cake) Connie went to her room and started contemplating the disorganized mess that it was: a single bed stood to her right, close to a large window. Next to it was a large bookshelf, filled with disks and magazines. To her left, the working table where she put her computer and next to it, a large, black locker, where she put her 'souvenirs'. The floor was dusty, and and a spot on the floor was always damp, so she just decided to put a rug above it and to ignore the problem.

Simon would be proud of the mess.

On the table, the most interesting thing was a frame, depicting four people in a bar: her, to the far left, holding a beer a kissing a surprised Peter next to her, his white fur doing nothing to cover his blush. At the centre stood Olive and Terry, the former laughing her ass off, the latter looking away, uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed. To their right stood Simon, smiling hugely at the sight.

Woody snapped the photo at the new year's eve of 2007. A magical year, with magical friends. She didn't remember what the doc was thinking about the whole scene, but she was sure he was grinning too. Like father, like son, right?

It was then that she sat, turned again the laptop on, and wrote to Simon:

LW: Hey Sans.

Connie waited the answer, as usual. Ten minutes later, he wrote:

sans: hey luv

LW: Did you found it?

sans: nope

sans: No leads either

Of course. She was asking too much.

LW: Fuck. Ok, look, we stick to plan B. It'll take longer but we'll manage.

sans: we?

LW: YES. We. You wanted my help and I told you that I can't do this alone.

LW: You're ok with it?

She already knew the answer.

sans: yea, luv but I still blv it's too much work

Ugh. Always the lazy bum.

LW: You're smart. You'll figure something out. Anyway, you were right. Undyne's journal is accurate about the town. It fits all the criteria. We'll talk about it next week.

She decided to give him an heads up.

LW: Remember, stick to the script. We always need to be above suspects. Use convincing excuses and feign ignorance when it's needed. Looking too knowledgeable is a bad thing. We need to enter people's lives, so act accordingly.

While waiting, she remembered to put her pills on her bag. Fifteen minutes later, she received her answer.

sans: ok luv, don't be such a sourpuss

Why.

LW: WHY.

sans: ;)

LW: Sigh. See you next week, pal.

She was annoyed with him, but she couldn't really hate him. He was struggling in his own way, just like her. She stifled a yawn. She closed the laptop and got to bed, thinking about the future until she fell asleep.

* * *

A moment, she was flying. She couldn't feel anything.

The unending ocean stood below her. It was calling her, like always.

Help us, they said.

Never, she said.

Then, she looked under her, and saw her reflection. It was nothing like her.

Their whispers grew stronger. She felt numb.

You could rule over this, they said.

I don't want it, she said.

The next moment, she was on the ground. She saw over what she was walking.

It was nothing but muscle, pulsing at the rhythm of her own heart.

Leave me alone, she said.

I can't, it said.

The next moment, she stood inside her chamber.

The book stood on a pulsing podium, waiting for her.

Read me, it said.

No, she said.

Behind the podium stood a giant throne, made in flesh and blood.

A large window, shaped like a red heart, stood on the ceiling above her.

You can't live without me, it said.

I can, she said.

She sat on her throne, and started waiting.

The red light in the room was getting weaker.

The Abyss will never stop, it said.

I know, she said.

The mist around the room was getting closer.

Everything was disappearing.

Only her throne and the book weren't enveloped by the fog.

Nothing remained. Then, light enveloped her vision, and she saw it.

A white star in an ocean of darkness.

* * *

It was in that moment that she woke up. This time, she saw her world. Everything there belonged to her and nothing had the power to stop her. She was a God there.

She would have liked to see Terry though. She missed the dork.

Sighing, Connie checked the hour: It was barely 8. Despite that, she woke up and started reminding herself what to do.

Today, she was going with Ray. Next week, her hunt would start.

She stood up, entered the kitchen, and prepared the breakfast for her and Ray.

* * *

_A telephone rang. She answered._

_"Hey. Yeah, he hired me." "..."_

_"You were right, he wants to open the veil." "..."_

_"That would make everything easier, Ice queen. I will look for it, but the problem is his backer. Do you-" "..."_

_"Ah. Ok. Let me know what he finds." "..."_

_"No, that will take a while, 6 months at least. Then we'll see what he will do." "..."_

_"Ok, I'll stay in touch."_

_She put the phone down._


	3. Road trip!

_"Is that a nuclear reactor?" Connie said, shocked that such a thing was under the lab. "Isn't it dangerous?"_

_"Of COURSE it would be!" Gaster said, somehow offended by the guest's question. "It would damage the soil for DECADES!" He burst, but then, it recomposed himself. "Do you really believe that I'm some sort of mad SCIENTIST, miss Welsh?" He asked._

_"Of course not, doctor." Kinda. "So, what is this supposed to be?"_

_"This," He pointed at the reactor lookalike."Is supposed to be a secret research, founded by the government. I'm not allowed to tell you JUST LIKE THAT!"_

_She knows that, of course. If what she had read was true, the doctor was very secretive. "Oh. I'm sorry for asking."_

_"Nonono, don't be. You were just curious. I'm not looking for a machine. I'm looking for someone who think outside the box." He said. Connie noticed that he was smiling brightly. "What's the purpose of researching, miss Welsh?" Before she could answer, he said: "To find answers to this world's problems, of course. To tell people the truth about his own origins, to give solutions to plagues and famines. The shatter the veil of ignorance that curse EVERYONE!" He finished, trembling with excitement._

_They stayed silent for a bit, waiting for something. What, she didn't know._

_The underground lab wasn't large: it turned out that there were only two lifts (So her fears of working in a labyrinth were unfounded), fronting each other. They both led to the same chamber, the reactor room. To her left stood two restrooms, and to her right she could see something that looked like a control room. The only thing separating the room were a blast door and a pane of what looked like reinforced glass. She couldn't see the inside, though. Tired to check her surroundings, she asked to Gaster:_

_"So, aren't you supposed to interview me?" She knew that the doctor was weird, but he was also professional, when he wanted to. So what were they waiting for?_

_"I could..." He started. He calmed himself after the whole speech. "But the best person evaluating you would be someone more used to programming."_

_Really. "Can I ask who are we waiting for, doctor?"_

_"Our main engineer, and my assistant. Miss Hall." He started tapping his foot. He looked annoyed. "She should have been here already." A minute passed. And then, sighing, he asked: "So, Have you visited the town already?" He asked, curious._

_They needed a was to pass the time, anyway."Not really. I just rented a week at the Snowdin inn and came here."_

_"Ah, good choice." He said, approvingly. "Bonnie also rents the third floor rooms for everyone who stays for long." She hummed. After that, they stopped talking._

_Willing to break the silence again, she said: "I hope I have made a good impression on you so far, doctor."_

_"Hmmm." She could tell he was starting getting annoyed. His foot was basically trying to leave a print in the concrete. "Did someone else apply to this job?"_

_"Errr, no. Not really. All of my former assistant, except Terry, obviously, didn't stay for long. All of them lacked..." He searched for the right word. "Inventive."_

_"I'll try not to disappoint then, doctor."_

_"I hope so. Have you visited Alaska before?" He prodded, trying to know about her. That was a good thing. He wouldn't bother if he wasn't interested in hiring her._

_"Never. I'm from Washington. Lived there until last year."_

_"Why, did something happened?"_

* * *

_The Canadian forest, on summer, was beautiful. Evergreen trees and its wildlife were a breathtaking sight. One that, unfortunately, Connie couldn't exactly admire. She had an hunt to do. And her target was in front of her, at less than 100 metres. Looking down the scope, she aimed at its head, and fired._

_BANG! Its snout was destroyed immediately, leaving it as a bloody mess. Roaring in pain, he started desperately looking around for the attacker, only to be hit from another two shots, one to his left hind leg and the other to his fore leg. Breathing heavily, He saw his target: hidden behind a tree above him, dressed with a brown military jacket and an wool cap. The Yao guai charged. She would have none of that, though. Reloading, she shot as fast as she could at his chest._

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

_She had emptied the damn weapon on it. That fucking bear, somehow, with his belly covered with bullet wounds and a destroyed snout, was still moving. She quickly put a couple of bullets in her revolver and got closer, with the intent of finish him._

_The Yao guai was looking at her with his good eye left. It wasn't an angry look, as she expected. It was a tired one. She took a deep breath, levelled her weapon on what was left of his head, and pulled the trigger. Twice._

_That was the last favour she did for Agatha. She hoped the old woman could guide her to the cabin tomorrow, as she promised._

* * *

_She lied. "No no, I needed to sell an old house there. My father lived here when he was young." Numbness filled her heart. She missed him. "Have you ever been there, doc? It's a nice country." Too bad she couldn't act as a tourist then._

_"For a while. I had to-" He then stopped, and looked at the red button of the lift. It was blinking slowly signalling that the lift was coming down._

_"I believe she has arrived, miss We-" She stopped him._

_"If I get hired, can you refer to me as Connie?" She always hated being called by her first name._

_"Sure." He smiled lightly._

* * *

The morning, for our heroine, started like every other day of her recent life: With excessive amounts of coffee. And what was left of Ray's cake.

After drinking her four cups, she felt like when she was younger: like she could take on the world. She also sounded like she was on drugs. She puts way too much sugar.

After reminding herself yet again what she needed to do today, she took her thermos and filled it with the leftover coffee. Then she saw Asriel getting out of his room.

"Morning, Ray. Slept well?"

Ray, looking like he lost a war against an hair dryer and with barely opened eyes, answered with a very eloquent: "Mmm."

"Ahah, yeah. I feel you, kid." She then put a cereal box and bottle of milk on the table. He looked like he had a nightmare last night.

After taking a mug for Ray ('i got you under my skin', with an 'a' added with a marker to make the word 'goat') she dropped the bomb on him: "Come on, no time like the present, kid. Eat up, wash and dress. Today, we go roadtripping."

"Mmm?" He was still somewhere between awake and asleep, apparently.

"That's right, roadtripping. You know, when two, or more really, people are tired about the monotony of their life, they stand up and say, 'what the hell, time to see the world!' So that's what are we going to do, kid." She sat, while Ray started getting less sleepy. "Say it with me kid: Road Trip!"

Ray was a bit confused. About everything she said. He unconvincingly said: "Umm, road trip?"

Connie said it again. "Road trip!" She saw Ray's lack of enthusiasm. She stopped fooling around.

"I know you're going to need stuff for school. After we take it, we'll go to a place I'm sure you'll like. What do you say, kid?"

Ray, who in the meanwhile had started eating the cereals, (he liked eating them without milk for some reason) just managed to say: "Mmrbm".

It sounded like a yes, in another language at least. "That's the spirit kid! No time like the present!" Connie then said:

"Jokes aside, Ray, I'm taking the first shower, finish up and prepare your clothes. Leave the plates on the counter, I'll clean them later, okay? There's no hurry."

She then go to her room, took the clothes she prepared before, and entered the bathroom.

Her shower barely lasted five minutes, but drying and grooming her fur took thrice the time. She quickly put on her white blouse and her jeans, and started cleaning the plates. It was when she was drying the plate that she heard Ray getting out his room. He was dressed with a green t-shirt and brown pants, and looked content.

Barely. He had the smile of someone who was making someone else happy. He had always been a bad actor, but growing up he somehow got worse. She was going to make this work. Connie took her black jacket and her messenger bag, and said: "Time to hit the road, Ray."

After getting out of the building, they went to the car, which was near the entrance, and before heading away, Connie noticed a weird, black and red graffiti near an abandoned house, right in front of the car.

It wasn't there yesterday. It looked like three lines forming a star, but at the centre stood a dot larger that said lines, coloured red. It was sprayed in such a way that some of the paint dropped down the wall.

It wasn't real. It was too close to the car for her to just ignore it, so she settled for talking to Ray. Doing her best to not look directly at it. She said, in a happy, but forced, tone:

"Time to go, Plushie!" Ray cringed, like usual. She noticed that Ray was gazing at her. He tried to hide it and looked away, saddened by something. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but knowing him, he'll just dodge the question. She knew the answer, anyway: he was thinking about the past, in the same way she does sometimes. The fact that she acted so much like Tori didn't help.

She entered first, and waited for Ray to enter. Then she started the engine and, after 5 minutes, they reached, their destination: the Pointy Pencil, for when the pen wasn't enough.

Ross should put it as a slogan. Whatever, when she will own a store, she'll put whatever the hell she likes. They entered inside, and the chime of the bell mounted on the wall was heard by the one-eyed owner.

Standing behind a counter, Jakob Ross was, in Connie's opinion, the biggest rat she had ever seen: Tall enough that someone shorter than her can develop and height complex, he was built like a wardrobe and yet, from the few times she has heard of him, he was the textbook definition of a gentle giant.

Not even a single mean bone in his body.

Except for the fact the he was a drug dealer in his youth. She checked up his record, and it turned out he got ten years of prison, after which he turned on a new leaf and started working his ass off. Six years ago he somehow obtained a loan from the bank and opened up the place.

She also got curious about the eye, and it turned out it lost it in a weird accident involving him, a broken chair and the worst luck ever. The place sure had an ironic name.

"Howdy Mr. Ross!" Said Asriel. Jakob greeted him and Connie, who gave him a quick: "Hey Ross."

Then, Asriel got close to him and took a little list, with the things he needed written on it, from the pocket of his pants and handed it to him. The rat, seeing the list, said besumed: "That's a lot of stuff."

Ray sheepishly laughed, while the burly rat opened one of the drawers behind him and started taking a bunch of textbooks. In the meantime, she noted that Ray, for all his niceness, wasn't exactly paying attention to the owner. It was still down for something, but for what, exactly, she didn't know.

It was then that she noticed that Ross finished stacking the books. Connie, who stood behind Asriel, couldn't make out the names. Jakob then said: "Here they are, Azzy. Need something else?"

Connie's ear perked up after hearing that nickname.

Ray shook his head, and then Connie walked to the counter and handed him her credit card. She already knew how much it all costed, anyway. After he put all the books on a plastic bag, which Ray took, and they both bid their goodbyes while exiting the shop.

The returned to the car and started chatting a bit, while Connie turned on the car and headed to the highway.

She kept looking at the road, but she noticed that Ray took a depliant from the pouch of the rear seat, where she leaves all the good places' pamphlets, and started looking at them. Well, they have time to kill.

"Well, are you excited?" The trick had always been keeping herself busy, and she wasn't going to disobey one of her golden rules.

"Well, yeah!" He still didn't sound convinced, like he was thinking at something else. She couldn't believe it was the school and his nightmares, while there were bad, had never really influenced him.

She can work with this. She needed to put him at ease. "Really? Well, where do you think are we going?"

He stayed silent for a bit, quickly looking at the leaflets' titles. He then said "Rochelle Plaza?"

Connie smiled lightly: "No. Too far."

Ray tried again. "Oh, are we going to Strasbourg Market, then?"

Her smile got larger: "Try again, kid."

"...Fort Lucenne?" He guessed. She was this close to say no. She shouldn't have left the leaflet on sight. Oh well.

"And we have a winner!" She chuckled slightly. "Well, it was a nice place last time, right?"

"It was, yeah." His mind was still elsewhere. Sighing, she decided to give up, and turned on the radio. That could have gone better. It still wasn't time to pry, though. Connie settled to wait the right time, when they were in a more relaxed setting. She had an idea then.

With a plan in mind, Connie settled to focus on the road, peeking at Ray every now and then. Twenty minutes later, they reached the mall. She parked, took her messenger bag, and locked the door after Ray got out.

* * *

"Here we are, kid." Connie said, looking at the mall.

The place was in its golden years, and it showed: the two-floored mall was crowded with families, while the shops looked always full. The mosaic near the fountain looked recent, while said fountain, which stood at centre of the mall, had been polished recently enough that she could almost see her reflection.

At last, the glass panels on the ceiling looked clean, casting the main hall in different shades of the morning light. No wonder she liked the place the last time. "Want to see something in particular, Ray?"

He nodded, and headed towards a store of a clothing brand that she had never heard. Mannequins stood at the entrance, and noticed the the heads looked ruined. She stood nearly, waiting for him to choose something and started looking around her.

A couple was sitting at the pizzeria, talking. Their bags were nearby, left unchecked. A tank top could be seen leaning from her spot. A little family, on the first floor, with their kid looking to the fountain. The father had a bag on his hand; the bottom of a skirt could be seen. An tenderly woman, intent at-

She stopped when Ray, looking through a rack of sweaters, (of course) saw something that he liked: a dark green turtleneck. He tried it in the dressing room and, judging by his expression, he liked it.

"It looks good on you." Connie said, returning from her thoughts, and she meant it.

Ray smiled "You really think so?" He sounded skeptical. "We never had similar tastes with clothes."

"Green has never been my colour. I'm more of a blue person, Ray." She said, with a joking tone. He had always liked this friendship moments.

His smile turned larger. "You'll never understand the sacred bond between me and the green then, Connie."

A positive change. That was good. "Such cruelty, Ray. How coul-" She stopped when she saw a kid falling from the first floor. "What the f-" She stopped again when she remembered who she was with.

Thud! The kid, with a red, short sleeved shirt, a school backpack and black jeans fell from the first floor on her back, close to the fountain. The only other she could make out from the distance was that she was short.

A little crowd formed around her, but it was dispersing just as quickly when she stood up, looking unhurt. Someone, her mom judging by their resemblances, quickly came from the stairs and started excusing herself in front of everyone.

That was too close. Connie could not stop imagining what would have happened if she hit the head of the fountain.

_Crack. 'Ahhh!!!'_

She then heard a curious Ray asking: "Umm, what happened?" Pushing that thought away, she answered:

"Nothing special, kid. Someone fell. No one got hurt, though" Despite everything, there really wasn't much to say about the whole thing.

"...ah. Cool?" It really was too random.

"Yup. Cool." She then felt it, the moment she could clearly see the kid. An electric jolt, that suddenly put her in alarm. She immediately looked straight at the kid's eyes.

They were red. Just like theirs.

* * *

_'Did you ever regretted something?'_

_"Yes, kid. Why do you ask?"_

_'I don't know what to do about Azzy.'_

_"Ah. That's hard for me to say. What were you planning?_

_'I think I have a way to help him.'_

_"...Really? What's the problem, then?"_

_The child stayed silent. He refused to meet her eyes._

_"...Frisk, what's wrong?"_

_They left without explanation, leaving Connie worried about them._

* * *

They ended up eating a burger in the mall. She barely eated, and ended up throwing away half of it despite Ray's protests. He actually took the shirt and tried to ask her something, but she barely reacted to him. She could only hold her smile and whisper apologies.

_'Why, Frisk?' 'Why? WHY? I can't just let him die, Connie!'_

The drive back home was silent. Connie didn't say a single word too lost in her own thoughts to talk.

"Connie?" Ray said, looking at her friend with a worried look.

The cat, still concerned, turned her attention to Ray and said: "Yeah, kid?"

"Did something happened?" Ray asked in a gentle manner.

Ah, Asriel. The only blessing left in her life. She knew he would not pry, but she always felt bad at holding things back. "Just thinking about something, kid. Sorry." She said, with an empty smile.

She wished it was a lie.

_'I'm sorry, Azzy.' The knife went down. 'NO!'_

She started sweating, but held her smile. She had to stop to think about the past. She turned the radio on and focused on the road, until she saw a stopped car, right at the edge of the road.

She saw her again. The kid, standing outside the car, was waving right at them. She got at the edge of the two lane road too and turned off the engine. She then saw someone else: the kid's mother, who was previously sitting on the passenger's seat and now was exiting the car.

This time Connie could give a better look at her: she had dark blue fur and dark brown (red?) eyes. The woman got out of the car, and both the mother and the daughter greeted her. "Hello there." "Hi!"

Damn, she couldn't just drive past, nor could she make out an excuse to Ray. Connie got out of the car, but told Ray to wait inside. She then greeted them: "Problems to the car, ma'am?" She said, resigned to the situation and doing her best to avoid looking at the kid's eyes. She had to remind herself that they were a normal family. She noted a religious pamphlet and a little book (she couldn't make out the name) on the dashboard. The things they bought were probably on the trunk.

"Oh no, we run out of gas. My husband should be here soon." She looked mortified. Just thinking about leaving was making Connie fell guilty. It was in that moment that she realized something:

"The closest gas station is ten miles from here, Mrs..."

"Candy is fine." She sounded like a nice person. Her daughter was getting somewhere out of her sight. "I know, but we couldn't do anything else."

That would be true, if it wasn't for the fact that they both drove past an emergency lane, complete with telephone. It probably was one or two miles away from where they were. Had they not seen it?

Well, whatever. Pointing that out right now would be impolite. "I see." Pondering her options, she decided to gain some points with karma. "Look. If you want, I can drive you there, Candy. It's along the way and we can get your husband on the road. When did he-"

"Connie, look!" She stopped when Ray, who was getting out of the car, called her. Then, she realized why: Candy's daughter, which was doing her best to ignore, was gone. Ray was looking at something.

Quickly tracking his gaze, she saw her: she was trying to climb one of the powerlines. However, she looked stuck, and Connie realized that she was losing her grip. And despite that she was still trying to reach the top. Candy was going to shout something at her daughter, but then Ray said, alarmed:

"Hey look! A giant spider!" There was, in fact, a giant spider, right on her head. Connie feared the worst. The kid, however, instead of staying still, she said, looking at Ray: "Really? Cool! How big?" Ray was actually going to answer, until Candy interjected in the conversation:

"Margaret Borowski!" Candy shouted at her daughter. "Get down here this instant!" Again, Connie feared the worst, dreading about the many ways the kid could hurt herself.

All her fears turned out to be nothing when she just said: "Ok, mom!" and slide off the powerline. She then took the spider from her head, and put it on the ground. It was then that Margaret noticed that everyone was looking at her. "What?"

The fact that Candy didn't looked surprised was worrying. She was embarrassed by her behaviour though, and looked unsure about talking. Whatever initiative Ray had disappeared just as quickly as it came.

Connie was this close to facepalm. Ray just looked glad to meet someone else, as usual. Still moody, though. The awkward silence between them ended when she said:

"So, about earlier, what do you say?"


	4. The core (sorry, CORE)

_"THERE YOU ARE!"_

_Apparently, Gaster wanted the scientist to suffer an heart attack._

_"GAH!" She jumped, surprised by the doctor sudden outburst._

_It was in that moment that Connie saw Terry Hall for the first time: A yellow gecko, with black stripes._

_Like Gaster, she was dressed with a lab coat larger than her, to the point that bottom of it was blackened and teared. A pair of large glasses completed her attire._

_She had a hunched posture, and she could see that unlike the head doctor, she was chubby._

_"W-why you keep d-d-d-DOING THAT?!" She shrieked, breathing furiously._

_"BECAUSE," he started. "You keep coming late, Terry!" Connie then saw Gaster calming down. "You and Olive made out again, aren't you?" Can you two not be perverts for ONE. DAY?!?"_

_What? Connie tried to interrupt whatever was happening between the two. "Hmmm, I'm sorry..." They both ignored her, and kept talking._

_Meanwhile, Terry's cheeks were getting a deep shade of red. "DOC! We are nothing like, like that!!"_

_"Say that to Grillby. He still hadn't managed to clean all the stains!"_

_Wait, wha- Oh. Wow._

_"Hmmm, maybe it would be the case to start my interv-" The only voice of reason in that pit of madness got ignored again._

_Terry said, squirming "I a-already told you, th-hat was one of Simon's jokes..." she was sweating nervously and looked resigned to not being believed._

_Gaster sighed loudly. "Sure."_

_He then turned to Connie and introduced her: "This is our new programmer, Louise Welsh!" She turned back to the gecko._

_"Why you don't introduce each other? I had business to attend." He then entered in one of the elevators and left, leaving them alone._

_Did he really have to talk to them like they were little childrens? Connie sighed, annoyed but such behaviour. She extended her hand to the scientist, but Terry didn't shake it, still embarrassed._

_Trying to put her at ease, she said:_ _"By the way, I'd like to be called Connie." Terry was looking at her with large, brown eyes from behind the glasses._

_That things could probably be used for stargazing._

_"Anyway, the doctor told me that you should be the one interviewing me. Why don't we sit?"_

_That got a response out of her "Wait, w-w-w-" She breathed. "Of c-course! Follow me!"_

_Terry lead her to the control room: a larger room that Connie expected._

_The control panel near the glass was bulky and looked old, and near it stood something that looked like a large computer, of a model she had never heard. Behind that, however, was a little table, with four chairs. A little microwave oven was put on a counter and a basin was on the very edge of the room. Did the two also eat here?_

_"Ar-re you ok?" Terry asked, after noticing her silence._

_"Yes, yes. Just seeing the room. Had Gaster given you my curriculum?" She asked. Judging by her expression, the answer wa_s no.

_She sweated even more than before._

_"W-well, why don't you t-tell me your, uh, skills, first?"_

_It sounded like a question. Connie wondered if she always talked like this. She then said "Alright." and cleared her throat._

_Okay. Time to shine._

_"I graduated two years ago at the Maxson University, near Boston." She started. "On IT programming, with merit. During my studies there I learned about this place."_

_The last part was a lie._

_"In the same year I took the teaching license."_

_"R-really?" She asked, surprised. "You're s-so young!"_

_"It was..."_

_Something that she wanted to do from all her life, before her life derailed the way it did._

_"A plus, I think." She sighed. "Anyway, I saw on the internet the job offer, and I took it. I talked with Gaster last week."_

_"Hmm." Terry stood silent for a second. "Ok? Well, t-that's great! I mean..."_

_She chuckled nervously. "You're definitely qualified!" She got close the computer and turned it on. She computer started, and the gecko did something, because the computer started humming. Terry moved to the left, letting Connie see what she was doing.__"A-alright!" She said, sounding excited. "For me, y-you're hired, Miss- I mean, C-Connie."_

_The cat, getting closer, saw a long code, filled with several noted and a little, red warning sign at the right edge of the screen.__"This is the main coding used to regulate t-the CORE functions."_

_ She plugged a large hard disk in the computer."__Me and Dr.Gaster believe that during its execution it overcharges." She was getting more confident, Connie noted. "If you could give it a look, you think you can fix the problem?"_

_She wanted her to start already?_

_ Connie found it annoying. "Ok, fine, but I need to know what exactly it does. This core is like, what, a-"_

_ "CORE."_

_What? "What?"_

_"CORE. Central Operating Restorer and Emitter." Terry said, like there was nothing wrong with the name._

_Uh. Someone really wanted hard the acronym._

_"Ok this, CORE, what's his purpose?"_

_"W-w-well..." She started stuttering again. "It, uhh, r-restores a-a-and it...Hmm, emits?"_

"Who would have guessed." She said, deadpan.

_"L-look," Terry said, to a disbelieving cat. "It's, it's probably b-better that it's Dr. Gaster to t-tell you what it d-does. I'm s-sure he'll explain you everything."__She looked a weird mix of nervous and embarrassed, while she did her best to avoid looking at her._

_Despite the secrecy, Connie was feeling sorry for her. And so, she relented. "Ok then, but I'm going to need a better chair for this." _

* * *

After that, Candy locked the car, and gladly accepted Connie's offer. They entered to the back row of the car and both thanked her. Her plans with Ray derailed in that moment.

So far, Connie though, the ride was doing fine. After picking up Candy's husband, (A stout cat with glasses), they drove to the closest gas station. After filling a gas tank, they were returning to the Borowski's car, until the kid (Margaret, Connie remembered) broke the silence:

"So, you guys live nearby?" She was sitting in between her parents, so every time Connie looked at the rear view mirror she had to look at her. Her eyes, Connie noted, were looking at Ray.

"Well, not really. We live at Bloomfield." He said, turning at Margaret. "What about you?"

"Ah, Possum Springs. I think it made the news last year." She said, and started getting curious over something. She looked at Connie, and then at Asriel. "So, you two are, like, mother and son?"

Oh, that. "We are." "Kinda?" They both said, at the same time. Connie stared at Ray. He stared back.

"It's complicated." They both said, again, at the same time. Connie cracked up, and smiled.

"What about you three? Going to a family trip?" She said. Despite her fears, the kid had the ability to make her feel better. Just like Frisk.

"Well, yes." Candy said. "Our kitten needed clothes for school." Connie's ear twitched. She noted that the kid's ear was doing the same.

"Hmmm, really?" Feigning ignorance, she prodded for informations. "Me too. You're enrolled in Briddle High, kit?" She lightly elbowed Ray.

Margaret, confused by the nickname, asked: "Uh, Kit?" She elbowed Ray again.

"Ah sorry, Margaret, right?" Ray was looking at her, confused.

"Mae is fine." After a while, she said: "Actually, yeah, why?"

Ray looked then realized what her tutor wanted from him. He looked at Mae, nervously. "Well, I, uh, we, kinda, ummm..." He looked at her, not really willing to talk.

C'mon, Ray. She interjected in the conversation. "Well, it looks like we're going to see each other soon then." She said. "'Cause I'm going to be one of your teachers."

Mae looked at her with disbelief. "No effing way!"

"Language, little miss!" Candy said, scolding her. Now that she though about it, The big cat hadn't said much since they picked him up. Looking at him from the rear view mirror, she realized why: he was sleeping.

Was he tired? Ah never mind. "What? She's too cool to be a teacher, mom!"

"Eh. Thanks, kit." She smiled.

Mae groaned. "Again with that name?"

"Yea." She laughed. "But seriously, I'm going to teach IT. Excited, kids?" She tried to involve Ray, again.

"Nope!" "Uh, I am?" She didn't need to guess who said what. And yet, Ray didn't looked like he was feeling more comfortable. Even Mae noticed that, apparently. "Ummm, ever visited Possum Springs?"

Ray looked at Mae. After a bit, he said: "No, actually. How is it?"

Connie could swore that her eyes sparkled of excitement. "It's like, the s-" She remembered that her family was with her. "-the coolest place ever! There are like, woods, Clik Clak and the Pastabilites-"

"The what?" Ray asked, confused.

"The awesomest place ever!" She spread her arms wide, almost hitting her father.

"Is that a word?" "Obviously!"

Eh. Kids. She could almost taste their naivety on her tongue. "Wow, you two are so-" She said, but stopped when she saw their car. "Well, here we are."

* * *

After helping them out refilling the car, Candy gently woke his husband. He stood there for a while, not moving, saying: "Hmm?" until he realized that he had fell asleep.

They said their goodbyes and started going their way (which was the same for a bit, so she ended up waving back and forth at the bigger cat).

"Are you okay, Ray?" She looked at him.

"Uhh, yeah. Why?" He said. She noted that he was thinking at something.

"That's not the face of someone who's ok. Ray." Sighing, she said: "Look, you barely talked. No, don't give me that look." Ray was looking at her with annoyance, and an hint of a glare could be seen. "I don't want to force you to do anything, but if something happened, would you tell me?"

"Of course!" He said immediately. He then frowned, finding the right words. "It's just, I don't know, Connie. I..." He was fidgeting with his hands, and looked downcast.

Poor Ray. Still, it needs to be done. "We're not in a hurry, kid. Take your ti-"

"I saw Frisk last night." He said, interrupting her. He realized that, because it then said: "Sorry!"

"...It's Ok." She stopped. Frisk had always been a delicate matter. Especially with Ray. "What else did you dream, Ray?" She noticed that he was looking outside the window.

"...Mom." She could see the tears forming in his eyes. "I don't know. I saw her on the ground, then, then..." His face went between sad and guilty. "Nothing made sense." He folded his arms. He looked frustrated. "Was it my-"

"Don't ever say that. It wasn't." She took a deep breath. "Nothing that happened on Ebott was your fault, Ray. It was..."

_'What are you waiting for? DO IT!'_

"...Inevitable." Ray immediately turned to her.

"So we couldn't have done anything? How can you even say that!?" He was outraged, and she didn't blame it. But it was the truth. She tried to reassure him. "Ray..." He immediately turned to her.

"Don't you 'Ray' me!" He then realized what he said. "I'm sorry, Connie. I'm just in a bad mood today." He then tried his best to avert her gaze.

"You don't have to apologize Ray. It's not your fault." She took a tissue from the globe box and handed it to him. "It's okay, Ray." She then put the radio off. "You can rest if you want, we're still far."

Ray looked more tired than usual. He wiped his eyes. "...ok." He got himself comfortable, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.

She then said, barely whispering: "Sleep well, Asriel." She kept driving, going through the longest road she could find, until they returned to their home.

* * *

Like she expected, the symbol was gone. Gently waking him up, she lead him, still half asleep, to their apartment. "And we're back. Time to move out."

They got up the stairs, and entered in their shelter from the outside. "Why don't you go rest a bit more, Ray?" Connie said, seeing his half-opened eyes. The only response she got was incoherent mumbling.

Well, that could have gone better. Sighing, she saw the hour (early-afternoon), took a metallic box from the locker of her room, and exited the apartment. It was then that she met Kessler, still dressed in his hospital attire. She greeted him. "Hey, Tom. How did it go?"

"Well, actually. Do you remember Fiona, right?" Seeing her nodding, he continued. "They operated his brother yesterday." He sighed. "She was worried about him. Thinks that he could try something."

"Again?" Didn't they keep watch on him after he tried to take all his pills?

He knew it too, because it said: "No one can keep watch of him all day, Connie. Not even Fiona." He was really worried about her, wasn't he? "You know, I though that she could be happier, after-" He stopped. "Didn't tell you, right? Me and Fiona are going to get married, this summer."

Holy shit, about time! She expected him to sound less sad, actually, but they're both overwhelmed by their problems, it seems. "Hey pal, congrats!" He patted his back. "Where?"

"Well, she's from Possum Springs, so we're going to hold the wedding there." It was the second time of the day that she heard that town.

"Never heard of it." She lied. "How's the town?"

"...like a smaller Bloomfield."

"Oh. Wow." That actually was her first impression too. That actually left her speechless. "I, uh, hmm."

"... It's going to be a short ceremony, Connie." He said, noticing her frown. "I still don't get why you hate towns!"

"I'm more of a city person." And Ebott was the only exception of the rule.

"Then why you still live here?" If only she could tell the truth. But that would be complicated. And Ray could let something slip. She can't just take the risk.

"...it's a long story, Tom. Do you ever wonder why I'm Ray's tutor?" She really didn't want to throw Asgore and Tori under the bus, but it was the best excuse she could think of. Judging by his deepening frown, he was already thinking the worst. "Yeah." Then, they stood silent.

They stood like that for a bit, until Connie said: "I should go."

"Oh. Yeah, right." She said her goodbyes, while Kessler entered his apartment, and started walking to her destination: a shooting range at the edge of the city.

The trick was to keep herself busy, after all.

* * *

_"I think I can make this work." Connie said to an impressed Terry. "Some of the codes are redundant, the rest have too many functions. The whole code needs to be remade."_

_To that, Terry groaned. "Damn. H-how long would that t-t-take?"__She asked._ _Connie really was going to ruin her day._

_"Months, at least. Especially if I'm the only one working at it." She said, tiredness getting on her.__Looking through the whole code took the whole day. "But I'm unsure about a couple of terms. I get how everything works," That thing was basically a giant laser emitter. "But what exactly is the Astra theory?"_

_"THAT, is pretty good question, Connie!" Gaster said, entering in the exact moment she made the question and making the other scientist jump.__ She didn't even flinch.__"Is this going to be a regular thing?"__Connie asked, more curious that annoyed.__Seeing Terry like that was getting funny. Thinking that made her feel like a terrible person, though._

_"Obviously." Gaster said, with a flat tone. He turned to Terry, and then said: "So, what do you think of her, Dr. Hall?" Said doctor, after composing herself yet again, said: "I d-don't think w-we can find someone better t-t-t-THAN her!"__Her speech worsened when Gaster was around, Connie noted. So far, she wasn't sure what to think. He was weird, definitely, but he wouldn't be at the top if it was an incompetent.__"Well, that's GREAT!"__Sigh.__"You can start Friday, then!"_

_Wait. "Doctor, it is Friday." Her frown deepened.__"Well, it seems like you already started, haven't you?"__Eh. Good point. That actually left her without a comeback._ _Thankfully, he then said: "Jokes aside, Connie, you start next week. Terry," he turned to the scientist. "Why don't you show her the town tomorrow morning?"_

_"E-ehm, sure, doc!" After hearing that, Gaster pulled out a stack of papers (from under the coat?) and a pen, and sat on a chair.__"There's everything you need to know here." She sat too, while the doctor handed the contract to her. "Wage, hours, death insurance, NDA,"_

_Wait, wha-_

_"And the HONOUR of working with us!" Sigh. He was doing so fine.__"What do you say, Connie?"__She already knew how to answer. But she still took it._

_She read through it, and noted that it wasn't an ordinary contract: The wage was really high, (more that she expected, actually) and the work shift was variable.__It was the last part that worried her, though._

_In the event of injury/death/other (???) the Federal Research Fund will give to the closest relative an adequate compensation?_

_There was no way she would have accepted... in a different situation.__"I'm in, doc."__She signed it. He took the contract, and a deep breath. Fu-_

_"PERFECT!!" Her ears were screaming for mercy. They all got to the reactor (laser cannon?) room.__ "See you next week then!" He pushed a button, and the lift opened. He stood behind her._

_She then saw the time, and Gaster waiting for her to leave.__"... Am i the only one going up?"__Gaster looked confused. "Yes, why?"_

_"It's eight. Are you going to keep working here?"_

_"SCIENCE!" Why. "Cares not about time, Connie. As I said before," She dragged her assistant, who was mouthing 'help me', to the control room. "SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!"__Hmm. Ok._

_After quickly saying goodbye to Gaster, and giving a small prayer to Terry, she returned at the entrance, noticing that the receptionist wasn't at his spot anymore (were there other rooms to the ground floor?).__Going to the exit, she stopped when she saw three people outside._

_The receptionist, next to the red car, was looking at a tall, white dog, and a dark blue gator... doing pushups in the middle of the parking?__"HEY, OLIVE, LOOK!" Ah, her old enemy, loud people. "WE'RE GETTING AN AUDIENCE!" The tall dog apparently didn't have an indoor voice.__"sup, olive. hey, bro."__The receptionist said, unfazed. She had the feeling that this was a recurring thing._

_"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY TO US?!"_ _The receptionist, barely reacting at his voice, shrugged, and then greeted her. "heya, kitty. how did it go?"_

_Her ear twitched.__"SIMON!!!" He screamed (talked?).__ "THAT'S OFFENSIVE!" He then looked at her. "FORGIVE HIM, UHH..."_

_"Connie." She noticed his soaked shirt.__ "So, you two are, like, working out of something?" She said, curious. The woods were good for that.__Before talking again, his companion said: "You know, I like the term training!" The gator said. "You're our new programmer right?"_

_"I am. You two work here?"__So, the motorcycle was hers? "Sorry, but Gaster didn't really introduced me to anyone."__Except Terry, but she wasn't sure that 'introduction' counted.__They both were still doing their exercises. "Yep, we're the security guards."_

_"AND WE HAVE A BADGE TO PROVE THAT! SEE?" The other guy stopped, stood up (wow, he was tall!) and showed her the badge: a weird symbol with wings?_

_Whatever. She was tired. "Nice badge. I'm more into pins, though. So, you're... Olive, right?"_

_"Ah! One and only! Nice to meet ya!" Olive stood up too, next to the white dog. "AND I'M PETER!" He extended an hand towards her. She shook it.__ That grip could have broken a rock.__ Tired from her previous work, she said, yawning. "It's been nice knowing you two, but I have to-"_

_"your nose is bleeding." Simon said._

_"...It is, yeah." She touched her nose, and felt the blood on her fingertips.__ "It's the cold, sorry." She lied. She took a tissue from her bag, and used it to stop the bleeding.__"Happens. So, I guess i-"_

_"WAIT!" The dog (Peter) said. "HAVE YOU SEEN THE TOWN ALREADY?"_

_"...not really. I was going to see it tomorrow, why? Want to act like my Virgil here?__"__"WHO?"__"Like your what?"__While the two acted confused, Connie saw from the corner of her vision that Simon's grin was getting larger, somehow._

_Sigh.__"Want to show me the town tomorrow, Peter?" At her question, he suddenly got excited.__"OH, CAN I??"__Was it rhetorical?_ _"Uhm, yes?" He was nice, despite everything. And he didn't say cat puns. He was ok on her book._

_"YUPPIE!!" Her poor, poor ears. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY THEN, BECAUSE I, THE- I MEAN, PETER, WILL BE YOUR GUIDE!!"_

* * *

_She had to admit, his excitement was contagious._

* * *

_She smiled. "Eh, my hero!" She was starting to like his company, but it was late. She got closer to her car._

* * *

_"Anyway, now I have to go. See you tomorrow!" She entered her car and said her goodbyes to the three._

* * *

_It was during her drive back the inn that she saw Frisk for the first time._

_The mountain towered above the whole forest, while the full moon stood high in the dark sky, making the whole place look like a postcard.__ Her windows were open, letting her feel the cold, autumnal wind.__Connie enjoyed the brief moment of peace._

_Then a purple scarf flew right next to her windshield.__It was in that moment that she saw a child in the middle of the road.__They saw her car and stopped, the headlights blinding him. Still, he moved out of the way._

_She immediately hit the brakes, and almost ended up to run the kid over. She cursed, repeatedly, under her breath and got out of her car.__He was waving at her. "Are you okay?" Instead of talking, they took a pen and a large notebook, and wrote something on it. They showed her what they wrote:_

_'I am thanks. Have you seen my scarf?'__Their writing was a bit shaky, but still readable. In that moment she gave a full look to the child: a dark brown goat, with a striped sweater and gloves. His red eyes, and the calm look were their most distinctive feature._

_"A purple scarf? Yea, it's..." Said scarf was stuck near a tree branch, close to the ground. "Wait here."__She got close to the tree, and after tugging one of his ends, it fell. She took the scarf midair and gave it back to the child.__"It's dangerous to go alone at night, kid. You live nearby?"__They shook their head. "Did you get lost?" They shook their head again. They wrote something on their notebook.__'__I was looking for a friend.'__They turned the pages until they could show her who it was looking for. Their drawing was almost identical to the real person._

_It was Simon.__So, were they his son? "Oh, you're looking for Simon? It's still work-"__ Something was shining from behind her. It was the red car from before (Simon's?").__She then saw the driver.__It was Peter, with Simon sitting on the passenger's seat._

_They stopped next to them, and Simon called to the child.__"what are you doing here, frisk? tori will be worried sick."__Frisk and Tori?_

_"sup again, Connie." He was talking to her.__She waved at them, confused. Peter looked at her, and waved back, excitedly. Meanwhile Frisk just showed her what they wrote (thanks again, bye!') and entered the car._

_Peter said: "SEE YOU TOMORROW, CONNIE!", while Simon gave her a quick goodbye, and drove past her, further on the dark road._

_She wasn't sure what exactly happened. Still, she knew where they were going to: Ebott._

_She re-entered her car, took her pills, and drove back to the inn._


	5. A gaze on the past

The inside of the gun store had been the same since World War Two, apparently: made almost entirely in wood, it was stacked to the ceiling with rifles and hunting trophies.

A giant gun towered above them all: A large anti materiel rifle, capable of open up an head in two, and with a recoil strong enough to dislocate the shoulder of your average shooter.

How Ricky acquired that thing had always been a mystery to her.

It was quite... convinced of his beliefs, but he always helped her when it comes to weapons.

"Don't be ridiculous! There's no such thing as enough firepower!" She saw him exiting from his storage, likely talking on his phone to one of his clients.

"In the post-apocalypse, who do you want to be? The poor vagrant who gets killed by raiders? Or the badass ass-kicking machine?"

He couldn't be serious. "What! Of course not! Fuck them! What? WHAT??"

Sigh. Ricky.

"A flamethrower is ALWAYS useful! I know, I know... Tomorrow I'm fre-"

It was in that moment that she saw her.

He mouthed her to wait. "Perfect! Tomorrow, then!" He hanged up. "Connie! How are you doing? The government still hadn't chained you up?"

He said, joking. (?)

She rolled her eyes. "Eh, not yet. What about you?" The eagle was always dressed in the same outfit: a camo jacket, black tank top, and green, cargo pants. His gloves had seen and inspected hundreds of weapons.

"They can kill me, but they can't kill my ideas!"

So, it was a slow day for him. It was a pity, because despite his personality, he was the best gunsmith she had ever met.

And the only person, other than herself, that she left with the Blackhawk.

"So, is it ready?"

"Oh yes. Just finished this morning! He took a large case from behind his desk and started unwrapping it.

Inside, stood the Blackhawk, cleaned, with a new barrel and, as usual, very, very deadly. "Wanna try it?"

Did he even need to ask?

"Of course." He then lead her to another room. They walked to a stairwell leading down, reaching the shooting range that stood under the shop. They were the only ones inside.

Perfect.

She put on a pair of soundproof earphones, while Ricky took a box of .44 bullets. She loaded her gun, and started the program. A loud bell chimed, and in front of her series of little targets showed up. She handled her revolver in a two-handed grip, and started firing.

One by one, a large hole erupted on the bullseye painted on them. An hit each second. Her aim was still good. When her gun run dry, she pressed the button on her left again.

"What do you say, satisfied?" Ricky, which stood to her right behind her, asked. Blackhawk never let her down, but she needed something less likely to break her wrist.

"Very. But I need your opinion over something, Ricky." She already had some ideas.

"Uh? Sure. What is it?"

"Can you recommend me a .32 handgun?"

"Are you sure? Because, You know, when the world-"

She interrupted him before he ended up trying to sell her one of his theories. She learned her mistake by listening to him about the 'supremacist secret society that ruled over America' thing.

Where the hell he learns about that stuff?

"I told you, the world is not going to blow up anytime soon, Rick. Can you-"

"That's EXACTLY what they want you to believe, Connie! The government is spreading nothing but LIES!"

Sigh.

"Sure Rick. Let's go upstairs, shall we?"

* * *

"Oh, welcome back! How did it go?"

The innkeeper, Bonnie, whispered to her: a light grey bunny (her parents must have hated her) dressed in a wool sweater and a knee-high skirt.

She talked quietly and never raised her voice, no matter the situation.

The reason was on her left: a little crib, with her son inside.

Connie had found the infant the most adorable thing ever.

Bonnie was a close second though, with her shyness and the fact that she also took care of three other children, all of them with a strong resemblance to her. Connie had to resist the urge to pet her.

"I just got hired, thanks!" Connie said, in an hushed tone. "I'll go to my room now, Bonnie. Goodnight!" She noticed that one of the keys, hanging from a shelf, was missing. Did someone else come in town?

Looking back at Bonnie, she saw that she had taken her keys. "I cleaned your room while you were gone, miss Welsh. Goodnight and enjoy your stay!"

It sounded like a catchphrase or something.

She gave her a quick 'thank you!', got up the stairs, and entered her room.

The only difference inside was the done bed and the faint scent of lavender.

A little caramel stood above the pillow, with the phrase 'The best thing about you is yourself!' written on a little card under it.

Both the inn and its owner deserved much more credit.

She left her coat on a rack and took off her boots and her dress shirt.

She lie on her bed, and stayed like that for a bit. Sighing, she stood up, and put out a little journal from her bag.

She considered reading it again, but decided against it and instead took one of her books. She quickly got bored by it, though.

She took a couple of towels and got to the bathroom, with the intent of taking a shower.

As she hoped, the water was hot. That moment of bliss had to end, though. She got out from the shower, and dried herself up. Looking herself at the mirror, she saw her old injury, hidden under the fur, on her left side of her forehead.

All the doctors she saw told her the same thing: It will get better eventually. Thankfully it doesn't hurt anymore. She still remembers the sleepless nights, and she still loses blood from her nose, sometimes. Yawning, she returned to the bedroom.

She put on a large hoodie and curled up under the blankets, exhausted. One moment, she closed her eyes, hugging the pillow...

The next, she was falling. Feeling the air upon her face, she screamed: "Son of A- huff!"

The landing was... soft somehow.

She realized she was dreaming the moment she saw what was around her.

The sky, like always, was a mixture of blue and black.

The only other colour was given from the white stars that decorated the sky. Around her stood a giant forest, blue and yellow, but the most outlandish thing was the mountain.

It was far from her, but it was shining brightly to the point that looking at it hurt her eyes, like it was made of cotton and a large blue lamp was inside it.

Satisfied, she looked around her surroundings. She landed on a clearing, thankfully. She couldn't see anything important close to her, so she started flying again, looking for something interesting.

That left her with time to think.

She could move around, unlike her usual dreams. No dark oceans of something like that.

Still, she wasn't in her body, like usual. She let out a deep, groaning sound.

Well, the sight was nice, at least.

Nothing noteworthy to see, though. Oh well, she could be, uh, edgy and, hmm... slumber, somewhere?

Nah. She can fly. Fuck sleep.

* * *

"HI, CONNIE!" Everything was pain. Her headache was killing her.

Peter, after seeing her half lidded gaze, asked: "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

He sounded worried. "I GET IT!!"

Hmm?

"YOU MUST HAVE WAITED FOR THIS SO MUCH, YOU COULDN'T SLEEP!"

One out of two, partner.

"FEAR NOT, BECAUSE I, HAVE COME!"

"... Yeah, I can see that. Hello, Peter."

After saying goodbye to Bonnie, (have fun!) she had found Peter right outside the inn.

"So, umm, how long have you been here? Do you, I don't know, live nearby or..."

"bold move. should I be worried, Connie?"

Simon stood behind a food cart, serving hot dogs. He had his usual grin on his face and was busy solving another crossword.

Damn, she hadn't seen him until he spoke. How did it managed that? "Oh, hi, Simon."

She cleared her throat. "Were you two waiting for me?" She hoped not. She still wasn't warm despite wearing a coat, while Peter, somehow, just had a shirt.

She was getting jealous of him.

"OF COURSE! YOU SAID THAT YOU NEEDED A GUIDE AFTER ALL."

He spread his arms wide. "WE COULDN'T HAVE MET ANYWHERE ELSE!" Eh, that's true.

"Mmm. Thank you for waiting for me, then." She was feeling warmer, finally. "So, uh, where to?"

"I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!" He stood next to her, and pointed the finger to a little building, standing in the distance. "TO THE LIBRARBY!"

"You mean the library?"

"no kit. he meant the librarby."

"SIMON!" He shrugged, amused. Her ear twitched after hearing that name. Still, they were funny. She was starting to like the brothers.

And this kit can still bite.

"Ouch. I felt that. You're not all bark, eh?"

She put an hand on her waist. Peter looked horrified and Simon had a face that said 'challenge accepted'.

"nope, just getting my thoughts out. it's cathartic."

"Oh really, just that? Because it looks like you're dogging around me."

She grinned too. His eyes looked much brighter after hearing that. Peter was somewhere between desperate and exasperated. Yet, he was smiling.

"you alright, bro? you look like you had heard something," he winked at her. "catastrophic." Nice one. They gave each other an high five.

"Lovely. But you dog-ged the question."

Peter groaned dramatically. "WHY." He looked at her. "I GET HIM BUT WHY-" Realization hit him. "I SEE! YOU'RE DOING THIS," He even refused to say it."SO YOU CAN BE CLOSE TO ME!!"

He struck a dramatic pose. "FEAR NOT, CONNIE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT NEEDED!" He was still smiling. "AT ALL. IN ANY FORM! ESPECIALLY WITH MY BROTHER!" He was looking disappointingly at him. Simon just shrugged, clearly amused.

"Ok, you got me." She said goodbye to Simon. "Still up for guiding me around, friend?"

Wow. Two days, and she was already warming up to them. "ALWAYS!"

"see ya, Connie." Simon said, and returned to his crosswords.

Meanwhile Peter got close to her (she barely reached his head), put an hand on her shoulder and said, in what Peter probably believed to be an heroic tone:

"TO THE LIBRARBY!!!!"

* * *

After seeing that the librar(b)y was closed for renovation, a weird feeling hit her.

"Hey Peter?"

"YEAH, CONNIE?"

"Do you ever feel like you have forgotten some- OH SHIT, TERRY!" She facepalmed.

* * *

After giving a quick kiss to her girlfriend, she walked to the inn. She still felt tired from yesterday, though. Gaster could be a slave worker sometimes.

The day could have started better for Terry Hall. The day was cloudy and looked like it was going to rain, the wind was freezing her bones, and she was supposed to wait for someone who had barely met.

Connie looked nice, though, and looked very good at her job. She hoped the time wasn't a problem for her.

Walking to the inn, she first person she had found was Simon.

"hiya, lizzy. how's going?" Ugh.

The small gecko, annoyed, asked to the dog.

"H-hi Simon. Have y-you s-seen Connie?"

"i do." He looked back to his crossword, and deleted a word. "he's with my bro."

"R-really? B-b-but we were s-supposed to m-meet toda-"

"FUCKTERRYIMSOSORRYWEREYOUWAITINGFORME?"

A running cat almost run her over. Behind her stood a perplexed Peter.

"hiya, Connie. hey, bro." Simon, greeted them, with a nonchalance that would put monks to shame.

Connie was gasping for air. Peter was still completely fine. After taking up her breath, she spoke: "I'm sorry, Terry. I asked to Peter, here, to show me around, and-"

She groaned. "I forgot. Sorry."

"HI, TERRY!" Peter greeted the gecko. "UMMM, NICE WEATHER, RIGHT?"

Thunder boomed in that moment. The first drops came shortly later. Then it started raining.

"welp. my work is done." He started covering his cart with a large tarp. "see you later, buds."

He then walked away, leaving the three in an awkward silence. The day was getting better and better.

"So, ummm..." Connie, like the hero she was, she tried to say something.

"Y-y-yea?" Terry looked at her, hope clear in her face.

"...hmmmm." With that, she ended her speech.

"I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER!" Peter was rising quickly on the top of best pal ever. "WHY WE DON'T WATCH A MOVIE?"

Why not? "Sure."

"O-ok?"

* * *

After her visit to Ricky, she checked the time, and decided to go to her last spot: a military surplus, right at the edge of the city.

She parked near a large truck (belonging to the owner?), took one of her pills, and got out of her car. She entered, greeted the girl, with arms big enough to break her in half, behind the counter.

She started asking about the last objects needed.

"...that would be all, miss."

She handed her the money, said goodbye to the cashier, and left. She got to the car, and kept driving until she found a place where she could stop in the forest.

Far from the road, she opened the trunk. She put her things on the ground and took off everything inside it, then she touched with both hands two buttons, hidden at the edge of the trunk.

With a loud mechanical noise, she opened the double bottom of her car, put her new purchases inside it, then closed it. She then put everything where it was, and closed the trunk.

She entered her car again, and drove back on the road. With her last task done, she headed back home.

Everything was ready.

Now, she had to wait. She put her favourite disk on the player, and enjoyed the drive.

* * *

"Hmmmm, Peter?" Connie was a bit perplexed.

"YES, CONNIE?" He said, as nothing was wrong.

"You know, when you said that we should have watched a movie-" She sighed, resigned. "I thought you meant on your house."

Connie, Terry, Peter and Olive were sitting on their large couch, watching a movie. Thankfully, they were fine with this. Connie was pretty much attached to Peter, who looked oblivious to her discomfort.

They probably should have asked.

"WE STILL HAVE TO REPAIR THE TV AFTER SOMEONE-" Was he glaring at Olive? "PUNCHED IT!"

Hmmmm.

Olive scratched the back of her head "Yea, sorry about that, Pete." Olive, dressed with a tank top and sweatpants, was actually happy to see them. She was just as confused as them, though. "Hmmmm, are you sure it's not a problem for-" Both Olive and Terry interrupted her.

"Course not, a friend of Peter is a friend of mine, after all." "Wha? N-no!" She had to admit, they were funny. She smiled, amused. "Okay, okay. I don't get the plot, though." She really wasn't into anime, after all. "So, there's like, this magical cat girl who defeats the forces of evil with, uh..." She really didn't know how to continue.

Or at least, with something different than 'magical cuteness bullshit' .

"With the power of love! It's simple!" Terry took a deep breath.

"Basically this girl works as a waitress until she found this magical staff that transforms her into a hero and uses her powers-"

She took another deep breath. "-to fight the forces of the emperor of darkness with the power of love and kisses then she gets help from the ancient sage to find out that the real power was within her all along so she could defeat the evil Lord and live forever with her girlfriend!"

She looked at her, with an excitement similar to hers when it comes to games. "Did you like it?"

She nodded. "Sure. It was...ok." Sort of. Peter wasn't convinced, and it showed. He had the face of someone who was trying very hard to say something nice about what he just witnessed. "So the emperor was her stepfather?"

"What, no! It was her evil, male twin!" She took yet another deep breath. "Basically it represents the human psi-" It was in that point that she zoned out, focusing over the place.

The house wasn't big: It just had a large, brand new kitchen, behind the living room, a bathroom and a bedroom. "-which is why is the best anime ever!"

"Ok then. Anyway, shouldn't have we invited your brother, Peter?" Did he just sighed?

"IT'S... BETTER NOT DOING IT." His somber tone was taking away the light mood on the room, or it was just her impression? "HE'S PROBABLY WATCHING OVER AZZY AND FRISK."

Azzy?

"The kid from yesterday? I though Frisk was with her mother, uh, Tori, wasn't it?"

She could feel the tension in the air. Terry started fiddling with her hands and was looking down. She quickly said: "Sorry, I had to go to the bathroom!" and left, leaving the three alone.

Both Olive and Peter were just as awkward. "Oh, err-" She hopelessly tried to save the mood "Never mind, forget I asked."

She stood up and entered the kitchen. Nothing separate the two rooms. "Mind if I take some water?"

She looked at Olive. Her expression was serious.

"...Sure, help yourself." Well, shit. Olive lacked her usual near shouting tone. Connie was conflicted, but ultimately asked: "That bad?"

The silence after her question was even more uncomfortable than before.

"I know it's not my business. I was just curious about the child, Frisk."

She started explaining. Looking through the shelves, she found a glass and filled it with water. Looking at Peter, she could tell that he was very uncomfortable.

"I met him and-"

"THEY." "They."

Both Peter and Olive said, at the said time. "IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM."

Peter explained, uncomfortably: "IT'S COMPLICATED. THEY SHOWED UP TWO YEARS AGO, SHAMBLING ON THE ROAD. TORIEL PICKED THEM UP AND TRIED TO FIND THEIR PARENTS." He stopped, and grimaced. "WE..." He stopped.

Olive continued, though. "Well, they weren't exactly the nicest persons, let's put it this way." Olive had a furious snarl on her face. "Their parents picked them up from the Midwest, I think, but they showed up again."

"Frisk?" The two nodded."What, how? They must be 8 now, at least." How did they managed that?

"It's a thousand miles trip.

There's no way they could do that. Are you sure they were actually picked up?"

She started drinking.

"Yes." She had no doubts. "They looked like shit, trust me. We even needed to go to the hospital because they had a broken arm, for months apparently." She threw her arms on the air.

"Fucking NO ONE cared about the kid before, trust me!"

"A broken- Oh." Bastards. "And this...Toriel?" When Olive nodded her head, she continued. "Ok, so Toriel took them with her. It looks like the kid had an happy ending then. Right?"

Judging by their expression, the answer was no.

"God, really? Fuck. Poor Frisk." She finished her glass of water and left it on the sink. "What happened?"

"Asriel, that's what happened." She calmed down, but said nothing more. "It's bad, Connie. Trust me when I said that you don't wanna know this."

"Ummm. Ok, if you say so."

Sighing, she tapped to the bathroom's door. Terry squeaked from inside: "Y-yes?"

"Have you finished, Terry?" She asked gently. She then turned to Olive. "If it's not a problem for you tw-"

"Stop that, Connie. Make yourself home." She still had a serious expression, but the tense atmosphere was slowly vanishing. Five minutes later, a refreshed Connie exited.

"Thank you. Next time I won't ruin the mood, I promise." She didn't expected that. Looking outside the window, she noticed that it wasn't raining anymore.

"You didn't know that, don't worry."

Seeing the hour, then asked her: "Wanna join us to lunch? Me and Pete here can make a mean pasta."

She grinned a bit. "You won't regret it, trust me!"

Why not?

"I'd love to."

* * *

"I don't think you're supposed to punch tomatoes, Olive."

"How can you tell it's a bad idea if you have never tried it?"

"Hmm..."

"DON'T WORRY, CONNIE, YOU WON'T REGRET THIS!"

She blushed."...Ok?"

* * *

Dinner went normally between Ray and Connie.

After eating, they watched TV for a while, without talking much. After seeing Ray yawning, she turned off the TV and got to bed.

Entering her room, she opened her locker, brought out one of the manuals she was supposed to study, and re-read it.

Hours passed, and so did her energy. Checking the clock on the laptop, she stopped readind, turned off her computer, and headed to bed.

She barely took off her boots before falling asleep. It was when she heard the bells that she reopened her eyes.

Once again, she dreamed.

Around her, stood a wasteland, devoid of life.

There was nothing except for a little building at the end of road in front of her.

Following the road, she saw it: A decrepit, black church that she recognize.

The bells were still ringing, but now she could also hear a chorus inside.

She couldn't make out the words, though.

She wanted to stop.

She wanted to turn around and leave. But she couldn't.

The doors opened, and saw the darkness that lied within.

She wanted to close her eyes and cry.

She wanted to scream, but she couldn't even move her head, no matter how hard she tried.

The voices inside were getting stronger.

It was in that moment that she saw him.

Calvert, with his round sunglasses and his perpetual, unblinking stare.

The chorus immediately stopped. He rarely was in her dreams, but somehow he always managed to be memorable for her, in his sick way.

He stood at the end of the room, breathing laboriously and watching her.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then she felt something grabbing her inside.

She couldn't resist while the darkness enveloped her.

The silence was deafening, but she still could fell his gaze over her.

They were alone, and nothing could have helped her.

She realized that she had already felt like this.

Alone, afraid and impotent.

She wanted to cry.

Then, she heard her own voice.

'What about Nadine?' Her younger voice said.

'What about her? You can't save her, Welsh! You can barely defend yourself!'

Desmond. Of course she had to remember that.

'Look at you! You can barely stand. Calvert would have killed you like the others!'

True. She was so weak back then and Point Lookout was a giant meat grinder for people like her.

'I know. I know... but we can't just let her di-'

'SHE'S ALREADY DEAD! And so would you, if you return there. That's why we need to return to the mansion, we wait for help, and THEN we stop him!'

'...It won't let us be, Desmond. He's looking for us.'

Even after the years, churches left her with a sense of dread.

'No, kid. Just for you.'

Always the team player. He sighed.

'Look, as long as we have the book, they can't do shit. And they're not going to just wander in a minefield. They're fanatics, but they're not that stupid.'

One of the rare times where being paranoid paid off. Who in hell fill his own courtyard with mines?

'...why?'

'Uh?'

'Why they're doing this?'

In hindsight, she have preferred not knowing.

'...who knows. Let's get inside, you look like someone tried to kill you for an evil god.'

She understood why he lied back then. But that joke really came too soon.

* * *

Before she could see anything else, light enveloped her. This time, she saw a burning forest. She recognized it immediately.

"Oh God, no."

"Oh, thinking about me? I'm flattered!" His voice changed every time: now, he sounded like Desmond.

"But if were talking about someone else, you'll be disappointed."

"Quit the bullshit, Calvert. What do you want?"

"You make me sound like an opportunistic bastard."

You are definitely a bastard.

"You are. What's the point of this if it's not affecting me?"

"It doesn't look like it, Wanderer. Each day you lose more of yourself."

So much dramatic bullshit.

"That was hardly mind shattering. Read Lovecraft, you'll learn how to do this right, probably."

For a moment, Calvert frowned. "You make it sound like you like this."

"I'm used to it. Give it up, Calvert. Your days are numbered. Now get the fuck out of my head. "

He laughed. "Do you think that I'll just le-" Before he finished, light enveloped both.

She opened her eyes and saw the ceiling. Her clock was buzzing loudly. She sighed, got out of bed, and took her clothes. Ray wasn't going to school by himself, after all.


	6. Way to go

She was regretting everything.

"So, how is it?"

She could taste the agony of her soul, the desperation of her teeth, and her taste buds committing suicide en masse.

Saying it would have been rude though, especially after the whole 'Frisk' story.

Connie gave her a thumbs up, unsure about opening her own mouth at the moment.

Both Peter and Terry didn't have a sense of taste, apparently, because they actually said: "YOU GOT THE SAUCE BETTER THAN THE LAST TIME!" "I-it was amazing, Liv."

They must have been brainwashed, there wasn't any other explanation.

She drank several glasses of water to wash away what was supposed to be a tomato sauce.

Olive cleaned up the dishes, while Terry folded the cutlery and put it back on a counter.

Both her and Peter offered to help, but it wasn't needed: the two were like an oiled machine, both moving fluidly and effortlessly.

That reminded her of the whole 'town visit'.

After thanking the couple for the meal, she and Peter said their goodbyes, and exited their house, styled like a bungalow, not unlike the ones seen near the beaches.

A long driveway separated it from the main road. After getting near it, she asked Peter: "I hope you didn't have any other plans, Peter."

"DON'T WORRY, CONNIE. I'LL ALWAYS MAKE TIME FOR YOU!" She could feel her cheeks warming up.

So much niceness, argh. "YOU MIND IF WE WALK TOGETHER?"

She blushed. "Never, Pete." Pete? Was she sounding flirtatious? Oh god, no! "I mean, of course not!" What was with her today? She cleared her throat."I'd love to." She said, meaning it.

Peter actually looked surprised. "REALL- I MEAN," He cleared his throat too. "OF COURSE YOU WOULD! WHO WOULDN'T!" He started laughing. Connie found it a weird laugh, but it was nice, in its own way. "WE STILL HAVE A TOWN TO VISIT, AND WHO BETTER THAN ME COULD SHOW IT TO YOU?"

She chuckled at bit. "Eh, okay then. Where to?"

"TO THE...HMM." He stopped and put an hand on his chin (?), thinking of a place to go. "WELL, GERSON'S SHOP IS CLOSED. SO IS MUFFET'S. HMM, OH!" He said, loudly. "I THINK GRILLBY IS OPEN, THOUGH!" He said, with renewed vigour. "DO YOU WANT TO SEE IT?"

"Sure." The walk lasted barely 10 minutes before she could see the bar. Entering it, she noted that almost every spot was filled, except a couple of stools near the counter.

She saw a two familiar faces, and waved at them. "Out of a job already, Simon?" Peter was greeting the pair of kids close to him.

"just taking a break, kitty." Simon was standing there, eating fries with Frisk and another child she had never seen.

He was a white goat, with green, tired eyes. So, was he 'Azzy'? Frisk waved at them, and she waved back. The other kid hesitantly got near her, and extended an hand.

"H-howdy." His voice was too weak for her liking. "I'm Asriel!" He smiled to her, but then had a coughing fit. "AZZY!"

Before anyone else could react, Frisk immediately got a glass of water and gave it to him. "I'm fine." The child said, with an hoarse voice. Frisk didn't believed it for a second, judging by how they were looking at him.

That looked bad. Connie, worried, asked: "Are you alright?" The kid nodded, but he didn't looked convinced.

He stood back on his stool and kept eating fries. Frisk was frowning and looked worried. Asriel was smiling weakly, mostly to fool himself.

"looks like you two are having fun." Simon said, amused.

Peter said, obliviously: "OF COURSE! WHY SHOULDN'T WE?" Connie returned looking at the shorter dog, and then saw the unhealthy amount of ketchup. Simon noticed where she was looking. "everyone has its vices, right?"

More like a desire to get diabetes, but sure, let's go with that. "Right."

The bartender, a red dog with glasses, was looking at her.

She greeted him, but said nothing. She was going to order, but was interrupted by a bird, standing to her right. "He said welcome to Grillby's. What can I do for you?"

Connie was confused, but managed to say: "A... coke, please." The bartender took a coke from a large freezer to his right, opened it and gave it to her, along with a plastic cup. "Thanks." She started drinking.

Meanwhile Frisk was drawing something to Asriel. Connie couldn't tell what, but sounded funny, judging by their sniggering and the looks Frisk and Asriel were giving to her and Peter.

"You know kids, it's rude to laugh at someone who's in front of you." Frisk then showed her a drawing of a ship. Peter suddenly felt his cheeks warming up. Connie smirked.

"We're nothing like that, you know." Said ship was named 'S.S. Pennie'.

"AND IT'S A TERRIBLE NAME!!" Eh, he didn't get it. "AND THERE'S NOTHING BUT THE BOND OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN US!!"

Nevermind, he did.

"HOW ARE YOU, AZZY?" Said person looked away from Frisk. "YOU LOOK BETTER EACH DAY!!" She was getting used to the volume of his voice.

"Thanks, Peter." He smiled at him. "The doctors says that the treatment is already giving its fruits. Or something like that." He asked, curiously: "How's your dad?"

"UMMM, FINE, I GUESS?" He scratched his head. "YOU KNOW, SCIENCING AND ALL THAT STUFF."

"Is that a word?" Connie asked to Peter, but answered Simon.

"sure is, kitty." Her ear twitched. His expression made clear that such was exactly what he wanted.

Groaning, she responded: "It's getting old already, doggy." She leaned on the counter, in a way that make her face Simon, and started drinking.

Meanwhile, Asriel and Peter (and Frisk, which kept writing on his block) kept talking."I suppose we're gonna see each other every day now."

She took a sip. "What's the deal with the lifts?"

"what deal?"

"They are both hidden in the wall. That doesn't make sense."

"eh. that's nothing, trust me."

He shrugged. "Terry told you what the CORE does?"

"Not really. For me it looks like an oversized reactor."

His usual smile got larger.

"it's not." He stopped.

He didn't continue.

Annoyed, Connie asked him "So, what does it do?" His smile got even larger.

"sorry kit, but you have to hang in there." He winked at her. It was so bad her ear was getting sore for how much it twitched.

Peter, despite talking with the two kids, heard the joke and groaned. "SIMON, THAT WAS TERRIBLE!"

"eh." He shrugged. "sorry, bro." And so it went. Between bad puns and small talk. Despite their quirks, she liked them.

Too bad it wasn't going to last forever.

* * *

'Are you two dating?'

"What? We have met yesterday, Frisk."

'So?'

"So we're not dating, kid."

'You always blush around Peter.'

She sighed.

"You know, love at first sight is not a thing. It's supposed to be like a rose: It has to be nurtured and cured, and sometimes when the it blooms it may be for-"

She then saw their next sentence.

'You're blushing just now!'

"I don't blush around Peter, stop asking!"

'You'll be an amazing couple!'

"Real- NO, Frisk. Stop that!"

She groaned.

* * *

After a short drive, Asriel saw the Briddle High school for his first time.

"What do you say? Excited, Ray?" He nodded and scratched the back of his head.

The building was identical to his former school, except for his green walls and the large softball field standing behind it. He got out to the car, while her friend took her bag.

She had her stoic look on her face, and looked calm about her first day as a teacher. "Eheh. A bit."

"You know kid, you're probably the only one who likes to go here."

Including the teachers.

She chuckled.

It was still early, and yet he could see a couple of groups at the entrance.

"Good luck Ray. And don't worry. Really, what are the odds of messing something up on your first day?"

He could feel the inevitable moment when he will make a fool of himself.

Sometimes, Ray believed that she did that intentionally just to mess with people. "Ugh. Really?"

She chuckled. "Cheer up, Ray. You'll be fine!" Connie parked her car (she had a reserved parking?) and they both got inside. "Ok, you have Astronomy now, remember?"

He nodded. "Ok, ok. Your class is on the second floor, so why don't you see if there's someone already?"

"Ok, Connie! What about you?" They stopped near the stairs.

"I'll come later, kid." She saw her watch.

They still had twenty minutes. "Well, what are you waiting for? Show 'em all, Ray!" She said her goodbyes, and then went to her first class, leaving him alone.

"Ok." How hard could it-

Ok no maybe it was better moving.

He got up the stairs and started looking for his locker. He found it, and entered the combination he was given. He opened his locker-

"Ah!"

And hit the face of the girl next to him, which was now holding her own snout. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

Said girl, a gator with a lot of goth makeup, answered with a "Mmm." She quickly put her books on her locker and left, barely looking at him but still holding her nose.

He had definitely made an impression on her. He muttered, resigned: "Oh, golly. Way to go, Asriel." He hoped his day would have gone better. He took his books and walked to his class. Once inside, he saw a familiar face talking with an orange fox. "No way, dude!"

Somehow, they didn't noticed him.

"It's true! There was this giant pack of wolves who kept chasing me, then one of them suddenly jumped and bit my ear off! I was like 'ah, now you did it!' so I wrestled that thing and showed him who's boss!" She spread her arms wide. "And that's how I became pack leader! Now every time I howl, wolves answers back!"

She then tried to howl, but she was stopped when the teacher, a large blue bear, entered.

"Looks like you three are eager to learn. Why don't you sit?"

"Sure, prof." She sat close to the fox. Only then she looked at him. He waved at her, and sat near the window. He could see people entering inside and taking place. He took his books and put them on his table.

Meanwhile the professor started talking:

"Hello everyone! Welcome to the Astronomy class. I'm professor Chazokov and I'll be your teacher for this course."

He then started to call names, each person putting their hand up.

Then, his name came up: "Dremurr... Asriel?" He answered back. "I'm here!"

After that, the professor kept calling. Ray started looking outside the window: he saw the courtyard outside, with leaves splayed across it. Further away, the softball field.

On the background, a large corn field could be seen, still growing. He admired the scenery for a bit, then he heard the professor instructing everyone about their first exam next month.

Then he was it in the head with a crumbled paper. He looked behind and saw Mae looking at him. She then whispered: "Pick it up."

"What?"

"The paper!"

"Ah!"

He took the crumpled remains of it, and read its content.

* * *

It was midday when her lesson started.

"Hello, everyone! I'm professor Welsh and this is your mandatory math course."

Connie cleared her throat. "Now, the first exam will be next month. I won't be easy, but I expect all you to succeed. I'll do my best to teach and I want the same from all of you."

The first row was listening at her, and one kid was even taking notes. Ray was somewhere in the middle row, reading the textbook. The last rows were a mixed bunch, though. Some were listening, others weren't. She could see an orange cat looking at the ass of a girl in front of her.

Ah, teenagers. She glared at him, but it didn't stop peeking. She had to remember it for later.

"Any questions?" Silence was the only response. "Perfect. Let's start from..."

And so it went her first lesson, between explanations and rebukes.

When the bell rung, pretty much everyone sighed in relief and going to the mess hall.

She muttered: "Well, good job, Connie.", drank coffee from her thermos and went on the teachers' lounge.

She sat on one of the couches inside took out her computer from her bag, and typed to her companion.

LW: Hey pal, i just finished here. Call me whenever you can.

With that, she closed her laptop and put it back on her bag.

Sighing, she took a sandwich from the vending machine on the corner, and ate it.

Hmmm, ham.

She resisted the urge to lick her lips. She was going to threw away the wrap, when she heard the door opening. Stepping inside, a blue bear greeted her.

"Oh, hello. You're the new one, right?"

He extended an hand, which Connie shook. "I'm Chazokov."

"Welsh. A pleasure. You're the Astronomy teacher, right?" He nodded. "Uh, lovely. So, have you worked here for long?"

"Not really. Just from four years."

"Hmm. How's the-"

She was interrupted by the chime of her phone. Looking at it, she sighed.

"Sorry, I had to make a call."

She stood up, took her bag, and went out the room, looking for the closest exit. Out on the courtyard, she answered.

"Hi Sarah, how's things in Nevada?"

"What the hell are you two doing in Pennsylvania, Connie?"

Sarah sounded really annoyed. Not that she was surprised.

"Sightseeing. The fresh air does wonders for the body. How's the Ice queen?"

"...You know that."

Her line went silent for a while. Then: "It's for Undy- Olive, isn't it?"

"...It is." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"She was his only friend left, Sarah. Simon... I think he wants closure. I wouldn't put it past him to blame himself."

"That doesn't change the fact that you two are going to a town where she was probably killed. I know you have been looking around."

"So?"

"So why are you helping him?"

"Why wouldn't I? I was... No, I am his friend, Sarah. I couldn't just let him go alone."

"And that's it?"

"Yes, Sarah. Why else would I do this?"

"You made clear that you didn't want to be involved with us anymore."

"I still think so. I just made an exception for him."

"...did you know that my father had worked on a case there?"

"He did? When?" She lied. She knew that already, thanks to her trip in Redpass.

"In the eighties. He never solved it, but he had a theory of what happened. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure."

"Based on the lack of relatives of the victims, and the fact that the great majority of them were homeless, he believed that the kidnappers-"

"There were more than one?"

"-seek out exactly these people. And you know where they went missing? Around Possum Springs. He never found any concrete proof and the witnesses weren't reliable. But you know what he also found there? Their symbol."

Connie could hear her sighing.

"You think he's there, don't you?"

* * *

She quietly opened the blood soaked door, letting her see the carnage inside.

Several bodies were scattered, men and women of all ages, mercilessly killed and left to rot.

The responsible of all that was in front of her. She reflexively draw her handgun and shot him in the chest.

He barely flinched. A little hole could be seen in his torso while blood was soaking his shirt.

He then spoke: "You have killed Blackhall and everyone who stood on your way-" She shot him again, this time in the head. Twice.

A good chunk of his forehead was reduced to a bloody pulp, but he kept talking.

"That was rude, you know. What was I saying?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh right! You deserve an applause!"

His clapping was quickly grating on her nerves. Calvert stood behind the lectern, his sunglasses doing nothing to hide his glowing eyes. "I'm impressed. No one would have survived this long without help. But you... You did just that." He slowly moved towards her. "But your luck ends here, Lone Wanderer."

How did he just called her?

"Any last words?"

She didn't exactly feel sorry for the people who had drugged and opened her head, but she had to know.

"...Why did you killed them?"

He raised an eyebrow. "That's what you want to know? Really?"

"Yes. I know you turned them into a cult. So why kill them?"

He laughed. The bastard actually laughed. "Well, why shouldn't I?"

"...what?"

"Why wouldn't I have killed them? They meant nothing to me. I killed them in the same way I have killed Desmond."

He smiled wide. "And in the same way I'm going to kill y-"

Another bullet destroyed the left side of his neck.

She shot him again, this time in the knee. He grunted and crouched on the other one. "This is annoying, you know!" She saw, to her horror, that he was getting up like nothing happened while the holes in his body healed at an insane rate. "Bullets won't do anything to me, why don't you just give u-"

Two shots destroyed his eyes. His round sunglasses fell from his face. He sighed.

"I liked them. Oh well."

He cleared his throat. "Blinding me won't change anything!"

He could hear the doors closing quickly. "You can't hide forever, Wanderer!"

He slowly walked outside the church, and with his freshly healed eyes he looked around the hill.

No one in sight. He strolled through the dirt road, checking for every movement. When he got far enough for her to not be seen, she exited from the cellar on the back of the church.

Thankfully he hadn't noticed that she unlocked it before they met. Sighing, she entered back inside, hoping to find that damned book.

Searching the corpses, she found a double barreled shotgun with several shells, a key for the belltower, and a pen. She took everything and used the key to enter inside the tower. At the base, she found her.

Nadine. She was dead, her neck bent in an unnatural angle. She had a flare gun in her hand, used likely to defend herself. Checking it, she noticed that it was empty. She took it, along with a couple of flares in her pocket. She then climbed the stairs and found nothing.

At the top, she froze when she saw him.

"Looking for this?" standing just outside the entrance, he waved at her, book in hand. He had waited for her all along. "Why don't you come get it?"

She was trapped. "Oh God."

* * *

"Wherever he went, death followed, Sarah."

"...what?"

"I mean, we would know if he's around. He's not subtle." Yet another lie. She had to make up to her one day.

"But I still don't see the problem."

"...you remember what I said to you when you left?"

"Somewhere between the lines of 'i understand, let's keep in touch'?"

"Exactly, and I said that because you deserved a normal life after-"

"I know." She cut her off. "But I just want to help Simon. Nothing more."

Sarah sighed. She ultimately relented: "Ok, let me know how things work out."

"Of course. Bye."

She was going to close the call, but stopped when Sarah said: "Wait!"

"What?"

"Connie, please, if something happens, call me, alright?"

Fat lot of good it did last time. "Fine."

"Promise me."

"Is it needed?"

"Please..."

"Ok. I promise to call you if we're in trouble. Better?"

"...don't joke about this. I don't want to lose anyone else."

"... you won't, Sarah."

With that, she closed her phone.

She checked the hour and came back inside. She had other lessons to do and a friend to catch up with.

* * *

She typed the number they gave her. The phone rang for awhile. Then her informant answered.

"It's me, did you got anything?"

"Hmm." She took a notebook and a pen from her bag, and started writing.

"It can't be, the energy required is lower."

She frowned.

"Can you tell where-"

"Ah.That would be a problem. Any news from Shelly?"

A pause. "..."

"You know who I mean. Still nothing?" "..."

"Ok. Never mind. I'll call Monday, alright?"

"Ok, bye."

She put the phone down. She sighed.


End file.
